Nicolas Maduro, wife likely to face new charges over alleged torture of US citizens: Report

Prosecutors in New York are expected to bring new charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, over the alleged torture of Americans detained in Venezuelan government custody, according to people familiar with the investigation. The new charges could be announced as soon as Thursday, the people said.

The case centers on what US authorities have described as the wrongful detention of more than a dozen American citizens in Venezuelan prisons during Maduro's years in power. Investigators are examining allegations that Americans held in custody were subjected to torture and other abuses, according to people briefed on the investigation. Prosecutors have also discussed bringing charges against several additional individuals allegedly involved in the torture of American detainees, a source familiar with the matter said.

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The potential charges would add to the serious criminal case already facing Maduro and Flores in New York. The couple were captured during a US military raid on Venezuela's presidential palace in Caracas in January, according to the people familiar with the case. Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to charges including narcoterrorism conspiracy. They are currently being held without bail in New York. The expected charges would further expand the US prosecution's focus on alleged abuses committed during Maduro's rule and could bring additional Venezuelan officials into the case.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan former first lady Cilia Flores has a ‘very delicate’ heart condition, her son-in-law told AFP on Monday, as he called for her release from a US prison where she is being held alongside her husband, former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Flores' lawyer last month asked that she be transferred to house arrest, arguing that she suffers from heart problems that cannot be adequately treated under her current prison conditions.

The US government opposed the request, saying Flores posed an extreme risk of flight and danger to the public. Maduro's son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, told AFP that Flores is suffering from a ‘prolapsed’ heart. In rare and severe cases, the condition can lead to heart failure.